Ketchup
by tibieryo
Summary: All Aiden wanted was to be accepted. Experimental fic, Pilot hopefully through to The Greater Good.


For the fans of my first fic (which I just published on Wednesday, hoo), this probably isn't for you. Having no romance and no comedy (and no guarantees on either of those), this is a present-tense, flashback format, straight-up drama, starring an original character. It was sort of weird, cos I didn't write it in the present tense, but I read it after writing the first chapter and realized it was in the present tense except the flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for a very cute collection of mugs that have faces painted on them, with little bumps for noses. I'd be the cutest boyfriend ever. . .

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Ketchup.

Out of all the thoughts floating at the front of Aiden's mind, ketchup is the first thing that is brought forth. He looks down at his shirt. He dabs a finger at the red he sees there. Ketchup. Ketchup from. . . what? Ketchup from. . . the fries? Ketchup. . .

He watches as a man jumps out of the jungle. He wears a suit. With a tie. And panic. Why is he panicking? Without thinking Aiden gets up and goes over to talk to him.

"Hey, you, do you know what's going on?" he asks politely.

The man looks at his shirt, avoiding his eyes. "That blood?" he asks as he points to Aiden's chest.

"Ketchup."

The man turns to face the ocean. "Sorry, gotta run." And off he goes.

Aiden watches the man go and notices the wreckage. A wheelchair. A pregnant woman. Seats. Fire. An engine, still running. Aiden tries to piece together the last few minutes. . .

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're going to have to take the rest of your meal," the flight attendant informed him.

"I'm sorry, but, I just gotta finish up with my chicken, it won't take more than five minutes," Aiden pleaded. He rarely got frustrated with anyone, and he certainly didn't feel it coming on now. Now, he just wanted to eat his chicken, then look at the cute girl a few rows up, in business..

"Sir, you have already taken 30 more minutes than everyone else, and the last man had two meals," she politely points out.

"Oh, and who was that?" Frustration started to creep into his voice.

"That gentleman over there," she said, pointing to a man of rather large stature reading some weird sci-fi comic book.

"Miss, may I please have just. . . five more minutes?" He pleaded once more.

"Fine, but try not to spill everything everywhere," she said with an exasperated smile. She turned to leave.

"And, before I let you slip my grasp," he said as she turned around to share a chuckle, "may I get another thing of ketchup?"

He touches his shirt again. "Try not to get it everywhere. . ."

A few moments later finds Aiden in the middle of the crash site. He stares at the destruction surrounding him. Bits of metal are crushed into the ground. He looks around further. The cute blonde from business is screaming. He'd talk to her, but he doesn't think it's the right time. He walks further down the beach, until he spots a small man who looks kind of dazed.

"Hey!" No answer. "Hey!" There's no answer. "Excuse, me, sir?" Nothing. Okay. Regroup. Move on. He spots the guy in the suit again. He's standing next to a tire with a man trapped under it.

"Hey," the man in the suit calls to him. "Get over here! Gimme a hand!" Aiden feels his heart soar. He starts to run. On his second step, he realizes Suit was talking to an older man who's now outrunning him by several paces.

"You!" Suit keeps calling. "Come over here! Gimme a hand!" Aiden watches as the two men lift an airplane tire off of the man. Aiden turns away as a guy in blue brushes past him. He follows where Blue is headed. He's going to an old woman in pink. He kneels and administers CPR.

He turns back to tell Suit (who could possibly be a doctor?) that there's a woman dead over there, but Suit is gone. Right now, the Old Man is yelling something at someone standing by the engine. In a flash, the man is sucked in, and the engine explodes. He tries to turn again, and spots Suit talking to a pregnant girl. He calls the fat guy who ordered two meals on the plane over to him and asks something. Suit then runs off.

Aiden continues to watch the carnage in confusion. As he tries to make sense of everything, he collapses onto the beach. He stares at everything around him, not able to take anything in. A small voice in the back of his head says, "I think the plane crashed." He doesn't take in the guy in blue running back past him. He looks up again at Suit, and notices that the old woman in pink is breathing again. Yep, doctor.

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Anyway, I'm hoping to continue this story, but first, I gotta get some reviews. Not like, hostage situation gotta get some reviews, but I'd like to have some friendly encouragement. Next chapter: I was thinking either stick with Aiden all the time or switch between his POV and the POV of the character he "interacts" with. Sortof a "he said, she said" deal. Good? Bad? Cheesy? Overdone? Artsy? I gotta know, people. 


End file.
